SEC Haters: “The whole SEC is overrated”

This is our weekly blog on “SEC Haters.” It’s sports and non-sports celebrities, along with media personalities, who have opinionated things to say about the SEC. Sometimes they make valid and excellent points, while other times not so much. You be the judge. Here we go:

As always, there was some SEC hatred on Twitter this weekend, as many of the league’s top teams slogged through weaker conference foes and non-conference opponents. It wasn’t a dominant week for the SEC and plenty of pundits let it be known.

Steve Mason works for ESPN Los Angeles and clearly thinks the Pac-12 is better than the SEC. Mason wasn’t impressed by LSU’s win over Syracuse, even though Leonard Fournette ran for 244 yards. Mason then took a broader brush and labeled the entire conference as overrated.

LSU=Not Great. They beat Syracuse but 1-score game in the 4th quarter. The whole #SEC is overrated.

The SEC and Pac-12 are both having down years. Headliners Alabama, Auburn, USC and Oregon have all lost at least one game and have an uphill climb back into the playoff conversation. The Tigers and Ducks are out of contention and it isn’t even October. Many thought the Pac-12 would surpass the SEC as college football’s best conference. The jury is still out on that matter, but Mason is buying Pac-12 stock at the moment.

Our next SEC basher took a jab at Texas A&M. Zac Ellis is a college football writer for Sports Illustrated. He was also keeping an eye on the late Pac-12 contests and thought USC’s blowout victory over Arizona State belittled A&M’s win over the Sun Devils in the season opener.

Ellis does have a point. Arizona State was ranked when they faced Texas A&M. The Sun Devils are now 2-2 and have wins against Cal Poly and New Mexico. A&M’s playoff resume may be diminished if Arizona State cannot turn things around.

#Pac12AfterDark putting some hurt on the SEC. USC hangs 35 on Arizona State at half, making A&M’s win over ASU look a lot worse.

Finally, Joel Klatt of Fox Sports made an interesting note about where SEC teams are playing their games this season compared to the rest of the Power 5 teams. Klatt noted that LSU’s trip to Syracuse was the only time an SEC team traveled out of the “SEC footprint” this season.

This point is pretty irrelevant, considering most SEC teams play at least six home games and four conference road games. Maybe schools don’t want to pay the travel expenses to play in different regions. It isn’t about where you play, it’s about who you play.

This #LSU trip to Syracuse is the only game an #SEC team will play outside of the SEC footprint this year, Big 12 (7) Pac 12 (11) B1G (10)